Iowa

This Iowa native is being inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame

Published

2 years ago

February 17, 2024

Press Room

An Iowa native will be inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame this year.

David Hilmers, born in Clinton, and Marsha Ivins will join the 107 astronauts who are part of the hall of fame with a ceremony scheduled for June 1, according to a news release.

“These two veterans of the space program have demonstrated outstanding accomplishments in furthering NASA’s mission of exploration and discovery,” said Curt Brown, board chairman of the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, which stewards the selection process. “Both Hilmers and Ivins represent the committed spirit of exploration, bravery and teamwork that make our space program a continued success. We are proud and honored to have them join the ranks of the space pioneers recognized in the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.”

Who is David Hilmers?

Born in Clinton in 1950, Hilmers considers DeWitt his hometown, according to the news release.

The Iowa native worked for NASA for 12 years, logging 493 hours in space over the course of four missions, the Des Moines Register reported in 2021.

He was selected as an astronaut in 1980, previously enlisting in the U.S. Marine Corps and attending Naval Postgraduate School in California.

His roles at NASA included shuttle software testing, extravehicular activity suit development — or the kind of suit used for spacewalks, according to NASA — capsule communicator for six shuttle flights and as operating as the head of the mission development branch of the astronaut office.

Hilmers flew on several missions, including as a mission specialist on STS-51J. The Department of Defense mission marked the first flight of space shuttle Atlantis, occurring from Oct. 3-7, 1985, according to NASA.

He was also part of the 1988 mission that “returned American astronauts to space,” NASA reported, following the Challenger disaster that killed seven crew members in an explosion quickly after launch in 1986. Hilmers flew as a mission specialist.

In February 1992, Hilmers retired from NASA and as a colonel in the Marine Corps. Currently, he is a professor of internal medicine and pediatrics at the Houston-based Baylor College of Medicine, according to the news release. His involvement with space continue. He works with NASA as the exploration medicine technical lead for the Clinical Science Team.

What is the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame?

Inductees are selected by a committee of hall of fame astronauts, former NASA officials, flight directors, historians and journalists, according to the news release. The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida has displays for the hall of famers that visitors can see.

See photos of other Iowans who have made it to space

Iowans have long contributed their talents and intelligence to make space exploration possible.

More: A look at the Iowans who have made it to space

These individuals include:

Clayton Anderson, who graduated from Iowa State University and completed six spacewalks by his retirement in 2013;
Laurel Clark, who was born in Ames and spent 15 days, 22 hours and 20 minutes in space aboard space shuttle Columbia, which disintegrated upon re-entering Earth’s atmosphere;
Walter Cunningham, the Creston-born man who piloted the 11-day Apollo 7 flight in 1968;
Dale Gardner, who spent a total of 337 hours in space and considers Clinton his hometown;
James Kelly, the Burlington-born astronaut who piloted the space shuttle Discovery on flights STS-102 and STS-114;
George “Pinky” Nelson, who flew in several missions during the 1980s and was born in Charles City;
Loren Shriver, the Jefferson-born man who was inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2008;
Peggy Whitson, who grew up in Beaconsfield and became the first woman to command the International Space Station; and
Raja Chari, the Cedar Falls astronaut who served as commander of the NASA SpaceX Crew-3 mission in 2021.

Paris Barraza is a trending and general assignment reporter at the Des Moines Register. Reach her at pbarraza@registermedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @ParisBarraza.

Source link

Click to comment

Iowa

Iowa DOT to rebuild I-35 between Huxley and Ames. When will it start?

Published

15 minutes ago

December 16, 2025

Press Room

Iowa DOT to rebuild I-35 between Huxley and Ames. When will it start?

Ames commuters: Now is the time to send in your feedback for proposed changes to Interstate 35.

The Iowa Department of Transportation is proposing new construction to widen I-35 between Huxley and Ames and rebuild sections of U.S. Highway 30 as part of a multi-year plan.

What’s in the Iowa DOT’s construction plan for I-35 between Huxley and Ames?

The Iowa DOT has been planning these changes for more than ten years. Around 2005, about 35,000 vehicles using I-35 south of U.S. 30. In 2024, that number’s now at approximately 47,000 vehicles — and expected to continue growing.

Some of the improvements include:

Replacing and widening I-35 bridges over U.S. 30 in Ames
Lowering U.S. 30 to improve clearance for I-35 bridges
Reconstructing ramps at the U.S. 30 interchange
Widening I-35 to 6 lanes between Huxley and the U.S. 30 interchange in Ames

How much will I-35 improvements between Ames and Huxley cost?

The cost of the project is expected to total $100 million.

When will construction start on I-35 in Story County?

Construction is expected to begin in spring 2027 and be completed by the end of 2030. The project also requires permanently closing 564th Avenue south of Ames between 280th and 290th Streets.

The public input period concludes at the end of December. You can submit questions and comments on the DOT’s website.

Lucia Cheng is a service and trending reporter at the Des Moines Register. Contact her at lcheng@gannett.com or 515-284-8132.

Source link

Iowa

Local business highlights Iowa agriculture impact during Iowa Secretary Mike Naig visit

Published

12 hours ago

December 16, 2025

Press Room

Local business highlights Iowa agriculture impact during Iowa Secretary Mike Naig visit

CENTERVILLE, Iowa (KYOU) – A state innovation grant is helping a local meat processing facility serve area farmers and strengthen Iowa’s food supply chain.

Country Roads Meat Processing received funding through Iowa’s “Choose Iowa” butchery innovation grant program to update equipment at their facility.

Owner Melanie Seals said the business processes beef from multiple local farmers.

“Probably at least purchase beef from at least 20 to 25 different farmers,” Seals said.

Seals, who grew up on her family farm butchering meat, now runs Country Roads Meat Processing with her husband.

On Monday she gave Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig a tour of the facility.

“I mean we both grew up on farms we always butchered our own meat, and we just want to the local movement ally just excel and to grow,” Seals said.

The Choose Iowa butchery innovation grant helps small meat processors update and expand their operations. Seals used the money to update the facility’s equipment, which she said helps supply an important link in the food chain.

Seals said the grant is also helping the business increase visibility for more farmers in the community.

“We like to get as many as we can on the board up there so that way more people can know,” Seals said.

Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig said he wants to see this kind of success statewide.

“What we’re seeing is a reasonable investment on the part of the state results in a significant investment locally which again drives more businesses,” Naig said.

The success matters as farmers continue to face challenges ahead.

“Were optimistic for another good growing season but that the marketplace will respond,” Naig said.

For Seals, the grant represents a solution that pays off by investing in the future for local farmers.

“We like to help those people that are local have their own businesses and we just kind of want to be a hub for all of that,” Seals said.

Source link

Iowa

Iowa National Guard identifies 2 soldiers killed in ‘ambush’ in Syria

Published

1 day ago

December 15, 2025

Press Room

Iowa National Guard identifies 2 soldiers killed in ‘ambush’ in Syria

The Iowa National Guard on Dec. 15 identified the two soldiers killed by a gunman with suspected ties to the Islamic state in Syria.

They are Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, 29, and Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25.

The two sergeants killed were members of an Iowa Army National Guard unit deployed to the Middle East as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the U.S. military’s counter-ISIS mission, the Iowa National Guard said in its announcement.

The soldiers were killed alongside their interpreter in an “ambush by a lone ISIS gunman,” U.S. Central Command said in a Dec. 13 statement. “The gunman was engaged and killed.”

Three servicemembers were also injured in the attack, according to the statement.

Howard’s father, the chief of the Meskwaki Nation Police Department in central Iowa, shared on Facebook that his son was one of the soldiers killed.

“My wife Misty and I had that visit from Army Commanders you never want to have. Our son Nate was one of the Soldiers that paid the ultimate sacrifice for all of us,” Chief Jeffrey Bunn wrote in a post on Dec. 13.

Bunn identified the interpreter killed as Ayad Sakat.

The troops were killed while they were on a “key leader engagement” in Palmyra, a city in central Syria, chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said on X. “Partner forces” killed the attacker, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on social media.

The shooter was a member of the country’s security forces who had been investigated and assessed to harbor possible extremist views just days before the attack, according to Syria’s government.

President Donald Trump vowed to retaliate after the attack. “There will be very serious retaliation,” he wrote in a social media post.

Trump has tightened ties with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former al-Qaida fighter who toppled his predecessor, Bashar al-Assad, in a stunning overthrow late last year.

Source link